It is also my only hope. I clench my jaw, fingers flinching at my sides. If only I had a piano and the time to work this all out through song. But all I have is my mind. “How long do you propose our bargain must last?”
“Just until the one with your stepmother is fulfilled. That’s all I’m asking. A head start, so that by the time anyone realizes I’m missing, there will be no fresh trail to follow.”
“Wouldn’t you have had that problem if you’d left tonight without leaving a decoy behind?”
She gives me a tense smile. “Yes. Which means we’re both fortunate to have run into each other. What do you say? Do we have a bargain?”
I drum my fingers on my thighs. “State your terms.”
18
EMBER
Maisie paces from one side of the bedroom to the other, muttering to herself. My stomach is a roiling mess as I watch her from where I sit on the bed. I’ve taken off the shoes, leaving them on the floor by the mirror. I can hardly bear to look at them. Soon they will link me to something I swore I’d never do again—another bargain.
“All right,” Maisie says, facing me. “I’ve got it.”
My heart slams against my ribs as I await her words, my mouth painfully dry.
“In accordance with your bargain, you…” She halts, lips dipping into a frown. “I don’t know your name.”
“Ember Montgomery,” I say, voice barely above a whisper.
She nods. “You, Ember Montgomery, will take on my identity. You will court the prince in my stead until your bargain with your stepmother is served. Until then, you must wear the glamoured shoes in public and let no one see you without the glamour. You shall tell no one that I’ve run away. During this time, you will remain living at the palace, which is currently considered your stepmother’s place of residence.”
She gives me a satisfied grin, but I can’t return it. My mind is tangled around her words, seeking weaknesses, areas needing further expansion. The clause about the palace being my stepmother’s current residence lessened much of the lingering pain from my almost-broken bargain, but what would happen if my family were cast out of the palace in the next two weeks? Brother Marus could refuse his arrangement with Mrs. Coleman after I turn up missing. Will the incentive of stealing my inheritance be enough for him to hold out hope that I’ll return or be found? Both Marus and my stepmother mentioned my stepsisters now have positions at court for the month. If that’s already been settled, will it be enough to keep them here?
The blood leaves my face when I consider what would happen if they were forced to return to the Gray Quarter and I’m trapped between two bargains, one that makes me follow and one that makes me stay.
I swallow hard. The result would be more than pain. It would likely be the death of me.
Whatever happens, I must ensure my stepfamily remains at Selene Palace. Hopefully parading around as a princess will give me some sway if I’m forced to intervene.
“What else shall we add?” Maisie asks.
I force the fearful thoughts from my mind and shift my attention to the terms of our soon-to-be bargain, testing them against the one with Mrs. Coleman. A hum of pain continues to burn through me, and I try to seek out which of her orders I’m still disobeying. I recall our last exchange where she left me with Marus.
You will marry Brother Marus.
A stab of pain has me doubling over and I breathe it away. My words come out strained. “For the duration of our bargain, I will consider my engagement to Brother Marus valid. I will do nothing to sever it.” My stomach unclenches, and I fill my lungs with air. There’s still an ache deep within me, but that’s likely as dull as I can make it. In my heart of hearts, I know what my true intentions are. There’s only so much one can fool fae magic.
Maisie repeats my words, adding them to our official terms. Then, striding over to me, she holds out her hand. “Do you agree to this bargain?”
Her question makes my heart sink. The last time I heard those words, they came from the mouth of the bargain broker. And I’ve lived to regret them ever since. Will I regret this too?
Not if it helps me defeat my stepmother once and for all.
Setting my jaw, I rise from the bed and clasp her outstretched hand in mine. “I agree to this bargain.”
* * *
I feelnumb as I watch the princess climb over the balustrade, doing the very thing I set out to do tonight and failed. She drops from the balcony to the ground with a muffledoomph, then halts in place. With the glamoured shoes secured on my feet, I lean over the rail and look left and right, searching for guards or prying eyes. She looks up at me, her cap back in place to hide her hair, and I nod. In the dark, she looks like a farm boy or a laborer. Nothing like a princess. With a final wave at me, she darts across the lawn toward the line of trees, Podaxis under one arm and her bag clutched in the other. My heart clenches as I watch her disappear into the shadows, to freedom. I watch the quiet lawn several minutes more, until I’m certain no one saw her.
Just like that, she’s free. Free from whatever she’s running from. Free from her unwanted courtship with the prince.
Free, while I remain imprisoned for two more weeks.
Two more weeks.
